Sole fitting machine



Nov; 12, 1935. g. E. HOOD 2,020,416

" SOLE FITTING MACHINE 4 Filed Oct. 14, 1931 Q 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig: 1.' 275 P 28278 Nov. 12, 1935. c. E. HOOD 2,020,416

" I 4 SOLE FITTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 14, 1931 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 NOV. 12, 1935. c E D 2,020,416

- SOLE FITTING MACHINE F iled Oct. 14, 1931 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.3;

NOV. 12, 1935. C HOOD 2,020,416

SOLE FITTING MAHINE Filed Oct. 14, 1931 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 NOV. 12, 1935. c HOOD SOLE FITTING MACHINE -8 Sheets-Shet 5 Filed Oct. 14, 1931 Nov. 12, 1935. I c. E. HOOD 2,020,416

SOLE FITTING MACHINE Filed Oct. 14, 1931 8 SheefIs-Sheet 7 I. ll IQUIIIIIIII Patented Nov. '12, 1935 PATENT OFFICE.

SOLE FITTING MACHINE Charles E. Hood, Lynn, Shoe Machinery Cor a corporation of New Mass, assignor to United poration, Paterson, N. J.,

Jersey Application October 14, 1931, Serial No. 568,787 43 Claims. (aria-17) This invention relates to improvements in sole fitting machines, and is herein illustrated as em- .bodied in a machine for preparing the margins of outer soles for the performance of shank reducing operations upon the sales.

In fitting cuter soles for shoes preparatory to theirattachment to the shoes it is often desirable, for purposes well known in the art, to reduce .the edge thickness/of the soles along their inner and outer shank portions by beveling the sole margins at the flesh side, i. e., at the side of the sole which is to .be adjacent to the upper of the shoe. In performing this operation it isdesirable to insure that the reduced areas shall terminate with accuracy-and uniformity at or in the immediate vicinityof the break line and that the thin edge'of the sole shall not extend into the forepart .,of the .finished shoe but shall lie close to the upper in'the vicinity of the break or bend between theshank and the forepart. The term break line is herein used to denote an imaginary line on the tread surface of the sole which, after the sole has been subjected to the usual molding operation, is visibly indicated by the more :or less abrupt junction of the unmolded forepart with the molded shank.

Itis an. objectof the present invention to provide .an improved machine for operating upon soles to obtain the above-described result. In accordance with a featureof the invention, the illustrated machine is provided with .a means for forming shoulders in the opposite lateral marginsof a sole andfor forming an edge-reducing cutadjacent to each shoulder, in combination with a means for positioning the sole to locate the shoulders substantially at the break line.

As herein illustrated each shoulder is formed by a knife so shaped and operated that, in addition to cutting the desiredshoulder, it actually removes material from the face of .the sole at the rear of the shoulder, thus forming a notch adapted to provide. clearance for a reducing knife or cutter, such as is commonly employed to perform such a reducing operation. To this end the shoulder forming knives herein shown are each shaped to form a notch defined by three angularly disposed surfaces, one of which defines one side of the notch and constitutes the desired shoulder, an other of which-defines the bottom of the notch, andthethird of which defines the opposite side of the-notch and is so disposed as to be obliterated in the course of the shank reducing operation. The shape of the illustrated knife is further such that-the shoulder which is to define the forward .55

extremity of the reduced area slopes with respect to the face of the sole in a direction lengthwise of the sole to facilitate the securing of the desired close relation of the sole edge tothe upper while the surface at the bottom of the notch slopes with respect to the sole face in a direction transverse to the sole edge at an angle corresponding approximately to the angle of bevel of the shank reducing cut so as to blend With the latter.

Further features of the invention relate to the provision of novel means for relatively positioning the work and the notch forming knives to insure the formation of the shoulders in the desired locations and angular relations to the sole edge in soles of any desired size and shape, for adjusting the positioning means to accommodate it to the requirements of any particular size and style of sole, and for clamping the soles and operating and adjusting the. knives.

The illustrated machine may be used to advantage in carrying out the method and in proto the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a machine constructed in accordance with the presentinvention;

Fi 2 is a top plan view of the machine;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of the portion of the machine which is designed to operate upon a left sole;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of portions of the lefthand side of the machine;

Fig. 5 is anelevational view, partially in section, of the left-hand side of the machine; Fig. 6 is a sectional View taken substantially along the line VIVI of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line VII-VII of Fig. 4, showing the knives in readiness to operate upon a sole;

Fig. 7a is a detailed sectional view of one of the knife-locating fingers;

Fig. '8 is a view similar to Fig. '7 but showing the knives as they appear immediately after hav- .ing operated upon a sole;

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view showing particularlythe construction of the tables for supporting the sole foreparts and portions of the mechanism for adjusting the toe gages;

adjusting the toe gages and the tables for supporting the sole foreparts;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a sole as it appears after being operated upon by the machine; 7

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the sole shown in Fig. 12, illustrating particularly the shape of one of the notches formed by the machine;

Fig. 14 is an edge view of the portion of the sole shown in Fig. 13, illustrating the step of reducing the sole edge;

Fig. 14a is a view showing the sole edge as it appears after the shank portion has been reduced and molded and showing also cooperating sole molds in operative relation to the sole; and

Figs. 15 and 16 are detailed sectional views taken along the lines XVXV and XVI-XVI, respectively, of Fig. l.

The illustrated machine, which will presently be described, operates to form in the flesh side of a sole two marginal notches, such as the notches A, A shown in Fig. 12. Each of the illustrated notches A, A is defined by three angularly disposed surfaces, viz., a substantially rectangular bottom surface C and two triangular lateral surfaces or shoulders D and E. The bottom surfaces C slope upwardly from the edge of the sole at an angle corresponding approximately to the angle of bevel of surfaces produced by shank reducing cuts (indicated by dotted lines at G) which are subsequently to be made in the sole by a separate sole fitting operation. The two triangular shoulders D and E which define the sides of each notch diverge upwardly from the respective bottom surface C and, as herein shown, the upper edges of the shoulders D are directly above the break line B of the sole. When the shank reducing cuts G are made, each of the shoulders E will be obliterated and the beveled surfaces formed by the shank reducing cuts will merge with the sloping surfaces C formed by the notches. The shoulders D, however, will remain 'at the completion of the shank reducing operations and will constitute the forward extremities of the reduced areas. The formation and arrangement of the shoulders D is such that when the shank portion of the sole is subsequently molded, as shown in Fig. 140., the surfaces constituting the shoulders D will be brought substantially into the plane of the face of the unmolded forepart of the sole, as indicated at M.

The formation of the notches A, A constitutes the first step of the method disclosed and claimed in my divisional application above mentioned. In accordance with that method, after the notches A, A have been formed in the sole, the sole ,margins are reduced rearwardly of the notches by a suitable sole edge reducing knife or cutter such, for example, as a knife of the type shown at J in Fig. 14. The notches provide clearance for the knife J, permitting it to be properly positioned to start the shank reducing cuts. The knife J is inclined at an angle corresponding to the angle of inclination of the bottom surfaces C of the notches A, A so that the beveled surfaces formed by the knife will blend with the surfaces C and thus be extended forwardly to the shoulders D. After being shank reduced, as above described, the sole is molded, for example, between upp-er and lower molds K and L (Fig. 14a) to impart the desired contour to the shank portionof the sole and the desired angle or bend between the shank and the forepart. The shank portion of the illustrated sole is bent abruptly with respect to the sole forepart at such an angle that the shoulders D are offset substantially into the plane of the upper or attaching surface of the unmolded forepart of the sole. as indicated at M in Fig. 14w. This portion M of the sole margin, being located just rearwardly of the break l ne between the shank and forepart of the sole, will form in effect a rearward extension of the attaching surface of the forepart which will lie close to the upper. As a result, the break between the unmolded forepart and the molded shank portion of the sole, as seen upon the attaching surface of the sole at the margins thereof, will be caused to coincide with the forward extremities of the beveled portions of the shank, and the thin edges produced by the shank reducing cuts will not extend forwardly into the forepart of the sole, but the sole edges, at the forward extremities of the reduced areas, will assume the desired close relation to the upper of the shoe, without buckling, at the junction of the molded shank portion with the unmolded forepart of the sole.

The illustrated machine for forming the notches A, A will now be described. This machine is of the duplex type and is adapted to operate simultaneously upon a left sole and a right sole (such as the soles indicated, respectively, at L and R in Figs. 1 and 2). To this end, the machine is provided with a set of work supporting and positioning devices 26 (Fig. 1) and associated pair of notching knives 22, 24 for use in conjunction with a left sole and a corresponding set of work supporting and positioning devices 20 and pair of notching knives 22, 24 for use in conjunction with a right sole. While being operated upon the soles rest upon separate tables 26 (Figs. 2 and 4) which support the forepart and shank portions of the soles, and upon separate auxiliary supports or platforms 28 which underlie the heel portions of the soles. Toe gages 30 are provided for locating the soles longitudinally in position to be operated upon. The widthwise and the lon gitudinal angular relation of each sole to the re-. spective pair of notching knives is determined by means of a pair of articulated edge gages 32, 34 arranged to engage the heel portion of the sole and two gages 36, 38 (Fig. 3) arranged to engage the sole edge at the locations where the notches are to be formed. The gages 36, 38, in addition to assisting in locating the soles, serve also to determine the operative positions of the knives in accordance with the particular size and style of the soles which are to be operated upon. Separate clamp plates 40 are pro 'ded for cooperation with the tables 26 to clamp the soles prior to the operation of the knives thereon. The tables 26 and the toe gages 30 are supported directly upon a stationary frame or pedestal 42. The articulated edge gages 32, 34 are mounted upon the auxiliary platforms 28 which, in turn, are supported by the frame 42. The knives 22, 24, the clamp plates 4i], and the gages 36, 38 are mounted upon an oscillatory frame or head 44 which overlies the tables 26. The knives and the gages 36, 38 for operating upon each sole are moved inwardly, relatively to the head 44 and in directions widthwise of the soles, at each cycle of operations of the machine, relatively to position the knives and. the foreparts of the soles, and there cutting toward the sole edge. The soles are clamped against the tables 26, prior to the operative movements of the knives by downward movement of the head 44.

The sole supporting tables 26 are rigidly mounted upon the frame 42 with provision for vertical adjustment in unison to vary the distance between the bottoms of the notches and the grain side of the sole at the sole edge or, in other words, to vary the thickness of the sole edge beneath the notch in accordance with the thickness to which adjacent portions of the sole edge are to be reduced by the shank reducing operation. This vertical adjustment of the tables 26 is effected by sliding the tables along inclined cam faces 48, 48 (Fig. 9) on the frame d2 which engage similarly inclined surfaces on the lower sides of the tables. As shown, the tables 2% are guided for rectilinear movements in directions lengthwise of the cam surfaces 48 by ribs 50 (Fig. on the lower sides of the tables which are received in grooves '52 in the frame 42. The illustrated tables 26 are rigidly connected for adjustment in unison by means of a tie rod 54, the opposite ends of which are threaded into the tables. Right-hand threads are employed at one side of the tie rod and left-hand threads at the opposite end so that by turning the rod and thus moving the tables toward or away from each other their sole supporting surfaces may be adjusted vertically into positions of accurate horizontal alinement. Suitable check nuts 55 are provided on the tie rod M for securing the tables in fixed relation to each other after they have been relatively adjusted as above described. The tables 26 may be adjusted as a unit for the purpose of varying the thickness to which the sole edge is to be reduced at the notches by means of a hand screw 53 which is adapted to turn. without axial movement in a lug 66 on the frame 2 and which isv threaded into the right-hand table 26.

The auxiliary sole supporting platforms 28 are supported by means of a bracket M which is bolted to the front of the frame 42. The platforms 28 are mounted with provision for a limited amount of horizontal edgewise adjustment forwardly and rearwardly of the machine to accommodate variations in the length of the soles operated upon, and also in directions toward the right or left sides of the machine to accommodate soles having different degrees of swing. For this purpose each platform 28 is connected with a horizontal flange 56 on the bracket B l by means of a bolt 58 which extends through a slot l6 (Fig. 4) in the platform and through a slot 12 in a plate it which is interposed between the platform 28 and the flange of the bracket 6:3. Each platform 23 is constrained to be moved in a rectangular path relatively to the plate M by a tongueand-groove connection it (see Fig. while the platel t is constrained to move only in a path at right angles to the path of relative movement of the plate and the platform 28 by means of a tongue-and-groove connection 18 between the plate M and the flange d6 of the bracket 64. The slot it in each platform 28 and the slot '52 in each plate M extend at right angles to each other, the slots iii extending in the direction of the tongue-and-groove connections it, while the slots l2 extend in the direction of the tongue-andgroove connections 78. By means of this construction, adjustment of the auxiliary sole supporting platforms 28 in any direction in a horizontal plane is permitted when the bolts 68 are loosened. When tightened the bolts 68 hold the platforms 2B in adjusted positions.

As best shown in Fig. each set of edge gages 32,. 34 which locate the heel portions of the soles comprise fingers which are pivoted at 89 to lugs 82 on the platforms 28 and which extend rearwardly from the pivots 8G and terminate in rounded sole edge engaging faces 8t. As shown, 5

the gage fingers 32, 34 are curved to avoid engagement with the sole edge except at the curved rear faces at. The gage fingers 3d are provided with extensions 83' carrying gear segments 88 which intermesh so that the gage fingers are con- 10 strained to move toward and from each other in unison, thereby automatically centering a sole which is inserted between them. One of the gage finger extensions 86 is acted upon by a spring 90 which tends to move the fingers inwardly and to 5 maintain them yieldingly in engagement with the sole. A set screw 92 carried by one of the fingers is arranged to engage an abutment 94 on the platform to limit the inward or approaching movement of the gage fingers. By turning the screw 92 the gage fingers may be adjusted for operating upon soles of difierent widths.

The toe gages 38 are formed as integral end portions of a crossbarQS (Figs. 6 and 11) carried at the rear end of a rod 98 which extends from front to the rear of the machine and is mounted for sliding adjustment in bearings I95 on the frame 42. The rod 98 has a central threaded portion l0! (Fig. 6) which extends freely through a block 32 and the rod is held in fixed relation to the block by means of nuts Hi4 on the rod which engage opposite ends of the block. The block 162 is connected with mechanism for slid ing the rod 93 to adjust the positions of the toe gages 39 according to the size or length of the soles to be operated upon.

The toe gage adjusting mechanism comprises a hand lever I66 which is pivoted at 108 to the bracket 64 which supports the auxiliary platforms 28. Secured to the rear'wardly extending arm of the hand lever I06 by bolts H5 is a plate lid in which is formed an inclined cam slot H2. The block I02 carries a cam roll H0 (Fig. 11) which engages the slot H2. Movement of the hand lever I05 about the pivot 588 will cause the slot M2 to act upon the roll Hi) to eifect forward or backward adjustment of the toe gages 30, The bracket 64 is provided with a segment I20 carrying a pointer its which is adapted to cooperate With graduations on a plate l22 on the hand lever I86 to determine the adjustment of the hand lever for the purpose of positioning the toe gages for a sole of a particular size or length.

A spring-pressed detent l26 carried by the hand lever iii-ti is adapted by engagement with one or another of a series of notches l 28 in the segment E26 to hold the hand lever 96 in adjusted positions corresponding to the size marks on the graduated plate I22. The size piate E22 is connected with the hand lever its by a bolt-and-slot connection E39 arranged topermit adjustment of the size plate relatively to the hand lever about the fulcrum of the lever as a center for the purpose of securing an accurate setting-up adjustment of the size plate. In certain styles of soles the diiferences in length between sizes varies more or less and in order that such variations may be taken care of the cam plate H4 is so mounted that it may be adjusted to vary the inclination of the cam slot H2 and thus to vary the amount of movement imparted to the toe gages for any particular adjustment of the hand lever lilii. For this purpose the bolts tit which secure the cam plate lid to the block I92 extend through arcuate slots L35 (Fig. 11') in the plate H4. The arrangement of the slots I34 is such that by loosening the bolts I IS the cam plate I I4 may be tilted relatively to the block I02 to correct for variations in size of different styles of soles. By loosening the nuts I04 and sliding the rod 98 lengthwise with respect to the block I02 and the plate II4 the toe gages 30 may be adjusted to accommodate soles in which the length is different from that of soles of standard styles because of excessive peakedness or bluntness of the toe portion of the soles.

After the tables 26 and platforms 28 have been properly adjusted according to the size and style of a particular run of soles to be operated upon, and after the toe gages have been adjusted, as hereinbefore described, a pair of soles are placed by the operator upon the tables 26, the toes of the soles being placed against the toe gages 30 and heel portions inserted between the edge gage fingers 32, 34. The longitudinal positions of the soles and the widthwise or edgewise positions of the heel portions of the soles are thus accurately determined. The widthwise or edgewise positions of the foreparts of the soles is determined by the gages 36, 38, after the machine has been set in operation under power.

After the soles have been positioned as above described, the machine is operated under power to position the foreparts of the sole in the requisite widthwise relation to the knives, thereafter to clamp the soles and to cut the notches therein. Movements of the operative parts of the machine are derived from a plurality of cams on a horizontal cam shaft I40. The cam shaft I40 is caused to make a single rotation at each cycle of operations of the machine. To this end, the cam shaft I40 is connected by means comprising a one-revolution clutch I42 and intermeshing gears I48 and I48 (Fig. 2) with a continuously rotating horizontal drive shaft I44 that is journaled in fixed bearings I45 on the frame 42. The driven member of the clutch I42 is fast with respect to a gear I48 which is loosely mounted upon the cam shaft I40. The clutch I42 may, for example, be a Horton clutch and it may be controlled by means such as a treadle I50 (Fig. 1) connected with the clutch by a rod I52 and a lever I54 upon depression of the treadle to engage the clutch members, while mechanism (not shown) of any well-known type may be employed for disengaging the clutch members and stopping the driven member. The lever I54 is mounted to turn on the shaft I44 and has a depending arm I55 (Fig. for operating the clutch. As shown, the drive shaft I44 is driven by an electric motor through connections comprising a pulley I56 on the motor shaft, a belt I58 passing over the pulley I56 and over apulley I60 on a shaft I62 that is journaled in a fixed bearing I64, a worm I86 fast on the shaft I62, and a worm wheel I68 which meshes with the worm I66 and is fast upon the drive shaft I44.

After the machine has been started upon its cycle of operations under power the two sets of gages 38, 38 are first moved inwardly to locate the knives 22, 24 and the foreparts of the soles in the proper relative positions widthwise of the soles for the performance of the notching operations and thereafter the soles are clamped and the knives are operated to out the notches. The gages 36, 38 and the knives 22, 24 are carried by the head 44 which comprises two side frames I14 (Fig. 2) and a crossbar I16 which connects the side frames. The side frames I14 are pivotally mounted upon'the shaft I44 and extend below the shaft I44 to support the cam shaft I40. The head 44 is rocked about the shaft I44 to clamp and to release the soles by means of two cams I18 arranged to cooperate with two cam rolls I80 which are mounted upon fixed pins 5 carried by the pedestal 42. The cams I18 are held against the cam rolls I80 by means of a coil spring I82 (Fig. 6) surrounding a rod I84 the rear end of which is pivoted. at I86 to a collar I88 on the cam shaft I40. The spring I82 bears at one 0 end against a shoulder on the pedestal 42 and at the other end against a washer backed up by a nut I30 which is adjustable on the rod I84 to vary the compression of the spring and which is adapted to be secured in adjusted position by a lock nut I92. The. spring tends also to hold the head 44 and the clamp plates 40 in their raised positions.

The clamp plates 40 are secured to the lower ends of two posts I96 the upper portions of which are slidable in bearings I98 in the crossbar I16.

A spring 288 surrounding each post I86, between the clamp plate and respective bearing I98, supplies the clamping pressure when compressed by the downward movement of the head 44. A stop pin 202 (Fig. 3) engaging in a slot 204 in each bearing I98 limits the downward movement of the posts I98 under the action of the spring 200 and enables the clamp plates to be raised clear of the work when the head 44 is raised.

The knives 22, 24 are carried by arms 206 which together with the gages 36, 38 are pivotally mounted upon pins 208 supported by cars 2I0 formed on carriers 2I2. The carriers 2I2 are mounted with provision for adjustmentto adapt the knives and the gage fingers for operation upon soles of different sizes and styles and they are adapted to be actuated to effect relative positioning of the knives and the foreparts of the soles, as will be hereinafter fully described. 4

The knives 22, 24 are shaped as best shown in Fig. 5 to provide a horizontal cutting edge 2I4 and two sloping edges 2I6 and 2I8 arranged to form respectively the bottom surfaces C and the side surfaces D and E of notches such as those shown in Fig. 12. The knives are secured upon the lower ends of the arms 206 and each knife arm is formed with an upwardly projecting portion 222 arranged to be engaged by a reciprocable head 224 secured to the'lower end of a vertical rod 226, the rod being slidable in a bearing 228 in the head 44. There are two heads 224 and two rods 226, one for each set of knives and gages. The rods 226 are actuated by levers 232 which are pivoted at 234 to the side frames I14 which 65 carry the head 44. The lower end of each lever 232 carries a cam roll 238 and the rolls 236 are arranged to ride upon the peripheries of cams 238 on the cam shafts I48. Springs 240 (Fig. 5) associated with the levers 232 serve to hold the cam rolls 236 against the cams.

Each of the gages 30, 38 comprises a finger 244 and a sole engaging member in the form of a plunger 246 (Fig. 7a) the upper portion of which is slidable in a socket 248 formed in the lower end of the gage finger. A spring 250 in the bottom of the socket 243 tends to hold the plunger 246 in a position determined by the engagement of a shoulder 252 on the plunger with a stop pin 254 carried by the finger. The springs 250 associated with the plungers 246 permit the plungers to yield upwardly if necessary to avoid interference with the tables 26 during the downward movement of the head 44. The yoke-shaped upper portion of each gage finger 244 embraces l6 the associated knife arm and is pivoted on the pin 288 which also carries the knife arm. A

spring 258 (Fig. 8) is coiled about the pin 208 and one end of the spring bears against the carrier H2 and the opposite end of the spring 258 bears against the gage finger 2M and tends to hold the gage finger in a fixed spaced relation to the knife arm determined by a stop screw 2% which is carried by the gage finger and arranged to bear against the knife arm. serves also to hold the projection 222 on the knife arm in engagement with the operating head 224.

The carriers 252 for each pair of knife arms and gage fingers are mounted for inward and outward movements, the inward movements ope'ratively positioning the knives and causing thegage fingers to perform their functions of locating the sole foreparts, while the outward movements of the carriers 2l2 result in withdrawing both the gage fingers and the knives from their operative positions to facilitate removal of the work from the machine. carriers 2 i2 is also of such a character that the carriers may be readily adjusted tovary the path of movement of the knives to insure that the shoulders formed by the notches will be cut in the desired. approximately right-angular relation to the sole edge whatever may be the marginal contour of the sole at the locations where the notches are to be cut.

In the. operation of the machine, after the carriers 2!? have been moved inwardly so that the gage fingers have properly located the sole foreparts, and the knives have been operatively positioned, the carriers are locked and the soles are clamped to insure proper action of the knives upon the soles. After the knives have operated to cut the notches, the soles are unclamped and the carriers 212 are unlocked and the .carriers. of each pair are separated by cam action. to return the gages 36,33 and theknives 22, 24 to their initial positionspreparatory to the removal of the soles from the machine and the introduction of a new pair of soles which are to be notched at the next cycle of operations of the machine In order that the carriers 2E2 may be adjusted and operated. as hereinbefore described, the

following mechanism is provided, Projecting from each carrier N2 is an arm 210 adapted toslide in a horizontal guideway 212 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5) arranged to support the arm 219 while permitting it to slide and also to turn in a horizontal plane as may be'required to vary .theangular relation of the path of knife movement with respect to the edge of the sole which is being operated upon. The horizontal guideways 212 are formed between upper and lower horizontal plates El i and 276 each of which is carried by the head 44. Each carrier 242 is also provided at its upper side with a roll 2'18 which is received in a slot formed in a horizontal arm 282 projecting from a block 283 through which extends two horizontal slide rods 286 and 288, one of the slide rods being fixedly secured to the block 284, while the other red is capable of sliding freely through the block. An arm (Fig. l), rigidly but adjustably secured by a bolt 292 (see also Fig. to each carrier 2 i2, is pivotally connected-by a bolt 294 with a plate 236 which is a-djustablysecured' upon two fixed horizontal rods 298 and 300 by means of set screws $32, the bolt 294 being adjustable in a slot 384 in the plate 296. The two slide rods 285 and 288 are articulated by rack and pinion mechanism comprising pinion teeth see (Fig. 6) formed on a shaft 3m and rack The spring 258' The mounting of the.

teeth 3| 2 and 3M formed on the slide rods 286 and 288 respectively, this rack and pinion mechanism being so constructed that the two slide rods are constrained to move simultaneously in opposite directions. One of the blocks 28 i associated with each pair of carriers M2 is fixed to the rod 266 and is slidable upon the rod 288, while the other block 284 associated with. each pair of carriers H2 is fixed to the rod 288 and is slidable upon the rod 285. construction and arrangement, actuation of the I slide rods results in moving the knife carriers of each pair toward each other for the purpose of. operatively positioning the knives and edge gage fingers and thereafter moving the knife car- 153' riers away from each other to withdraw the knives and gage fingers from operative positions.

The horizontal pinion shaft 3H) is mounted to turn and slide in a bearing 3H3 in the head 44,

1e sliding movement of this shaft being for the purpose of effecting the locking and unlocking i of the knife carriers as will hereinafter be de-- scribed. The pinion shaft 3H3 is rotated to operatively position the gage fingers and the knives by means of a vertical rod 320 having rack teeth 26- 322 which mesh with a second set of pinion teeth i 32d formed on the shaft 3H). The rod 320 is actuated to move the knives and associated gages into their operative positions by a cam 326 on the As a result of this 10;

cam shaft Hill, through connections comprising 30- a lever 328 mounted to turn on the shaft I44, one arm of the lever 32%? carrying a roll 330 arranged to ride upon the periphery of the cam 326, and the other arm of the lever being connected by a link 332 with the lower extremity of 35 the rod 320. A spring 334 (Fig. 1) interposed between the block 284 for the knife which operates upon the right margins of left soles and the block 284 for the knife which operates upon the left margins of right soles, holds the ro1l330 in engagementwith the cam 326 and serves to return the knives and associated gages to their normal positions of maximum separation after they have operated upon the work.

For the purpose of locking the carriers for the 5 gage fingers and the knives the pinion shaft 3! is adapted to be frictionally held against rotation. To this end the shaft am has fixedly secured thereon a locking drum 336 (Fig. 6) having a beveled periphery adapted to be held in yielding frictional engagement with the inner beveled face of a fixed ring 338. by means of a spring 340 one end of which is received in a socket in the shaft 350 and the opposite end of which bears against an abutment disk 342 carried by a screw 3M threaded in a fixed bracket 3&6 on the head M and which may be turned .to vary the compression of the spring. The locking drum 336 is adapted to be moved out of frictional engagement with the ring 338 against the force 01' the spring tail to unlock the carriers-for the gage fingers and the knives at the completion of the cutting operation by the action of a cam lever 360 (Fig. 6) which is mounted to turn on the shaft lever 360 is arranged to bear against the rear extremity of the pinion shaft while the lower arm of the lever carries a roll 362 arranged to ride upon the periphery of a cam 364 on the cam shaft 540.

ciated gages 38, 38 are adjustable in directions lengthwise .of the soles to be operated upon to adapt the knives for operating to cut notches at 1:34. For this purpose the upper arm of the The carriers 2E2 for the knives and the assothe ball line in soles of different lengths. This adjustment of the knife carriers H2 is effected by loosening the bolts 294 and shifting them in the slots 304 of the plates 2%. By loosening the bolts 292 the angular relation of the knife carriers 2l2 relatively to the arms 29!] may be adjusted in accordance with the edge contour of any particular sole to be operated upon to adapt the knives to form notches which will extend in the desired approximately right-angular relation to the sole edge. After such an adjustment has been made the bolts 292 will be tightened rigidly to connect the knife carriers 2 and the arms 290 so that the knife carriers will move in arcuate paths about the axes of the bolts 294 as they swing inwardly into operative positions. The paths of movement of the knife carriers as they move inwardly is such that the cutting strokes of the knives will be substantially at right angles to the sole edge irrespective of variations within certain limits in the size and style of the soles. By loosening the set screws 382 and shifting the plates 296 upon their supporting rods 298 and 3530, the knife carriers may be adjusted to vary their paths of movement to I adapt the knives for operation upon soles which differ widely in style. By shifting the plates 296, as above described, the knife carriers may be readily adjusted to adapt the knives for operation upon soles which differ widely in style and in degree of swing.

In presenting a pair of soles to the machine it is necessary only for the operator to place them upon the tables 26 beneath the clamps 48 with p the forward extremities of the soles against the toe gages 3|] and with the heel portions of the soles between the articulated edge gage fingers 32, 34. The toe gages position the soles longitudinally with respect to the knives while the heel portions of the soles are positioned by the fingers 32, 34. The operator then starts the machine by depressing the foot treadle I50 and the gages 36, 38 are moved inwardly relatively to position the sole foreparts and the knives to insure that the notches will be cut at the desired locations in the soles. After the sole foreparts and the knives are thus relatively positioned the knife carriers 212 and knives are locked to insure proper operation of the knives, the soles are clamped by downward movement of the head 44, and thereafter the knives are operated to cut the notches. Before the cycle is completed the soles are unclamped and the knife carriers are unlocked to permit the knives and the gage fingers to return to their normal inoperative positions and thus to facilitate the removal of the soles from the machine.

To adapt the machine to operate upon different sizes of soles of any particular style after the various elements of the machine have been adjusted, it is only necessary to adjust the toe gages by swinging the lever I06 until the proper graduation in the size scale I22 registers with the pointer I24. For different styles of soles, however, it may be necessary to make one or more of the various adjustments hereinbefore described.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1 In a sole fitting machine, in combination, means for supporting an unattached sole, a cutter constructed and arranged to form an edge reducing cut and an intersecting shoulder cut in .the sole, means for positioning the sole on said from the sole edge in the opposite lateral margins operated upon, and means for forming adjamechanism for moving the cutter downwardly and outwardly'from an entering location in the face of the sole to a leaving location in the edge of the sole, and means for adjusting said cuttermoving mechanism to vary the direction, in the 5 plane of the surface of the sole, of the path of travel of said cutter.

2. In a sole fitting machine, in combination,

a pair of shoulder-forming cutters, means for moving said cutters in opposite directions and in 10 angularly disposed paths to form shoulders extending inwardly from the opposite lateral edges of a sole and substantially at right angles to said edges, and means for relatively positioning a sole and said cutters to cause the shoulders to be 15 formed substantially at the break line of the sole, said cutters being independently adjustable to vary the angular relation between their paths of movement.

3. In a sole fitting machine, cutters movable 0 in directions toward the sole edge for forming shoulders extending substantially at right angles to the sole edge in the opposite lateral margins of a sole for defining terminations of reduced areas in the sole margin, and means for independently 25 adjusting said cutters to vary their direction of movement to adapt them for operation upon soles of different edge contours.

4. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, means for positioning a sole on said support, 30 cutters movable widthwise of a sole on said support to form in each lateral margin of the sole two shoulders extending substantially at right angles to the sole edge and an edge reducing out between said shoulders, said cutters being ad- 3 justable to vary the direction of movement of said cutters widthwise of the sole.

5. In a sole fitting machine, cutters constructed and arranged to form oppositely inclined shoulders extending substantially at right angles to the sole edge in the opposite lateral margins of a sole and a beveled surface between each of said inclined shoulders, and means for moving said cutters away from each other to make their cuts.

6. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, means for forming shoulders in the opposite lateral margins of a sole on said support and for forming a beveled edge-reducing cut adjacent to each shoulder, and means for positioning the sole relatively to said means to locate the shoulders substantially at the break line.

7. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, means for positioning a sole on said support, means for forming shoulders extending inwardly of the sole, means for adjusting said positioning means to insure the cutting of the shoulders substantially at the break line of the sole irrespective of variation in size or style of different soles to be cent to each of said shoulders a beveled surface adapted to merge with an edge-reducing cut subsequently to be formed in the sole margin.

8. In a sole fitting machine, means for supporting a sole, a pair of knives for forming shoulders in the opposite lateral margins of the sole, means for determining the position of the sole lengthwise with respect to the shoulder forming means, a pair of yieldable centering gages for positioning the heel part of the sole transversely with respect to the shoulder forming means, a second pair of gages engageable with the sole edge at the forepart of the sole for relatively positioning the knives and the sole transversely of 75 the sole, and means for yieldingly holding said second pair of gages in operative positions.

9. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, a knife movable about an axis parallel to the face of a sole on said support and in a direction transverse to the edge of the sole to form a marginal notch in the upper surface of the sole, and means for relatively positioning the sole and the knife to locate the notch substantially at the break line of the sole.

10. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, a pair of pivotally mounted knives for forming in each of the opposite margins respectively of a sole on said support a notch defined by a surface transverse to the face of the sole and another surface disposed at an angle to the first surface, and means for operating the knives in unison to cause each of the knives to enter the face of the sole and to cut outwardly to an edge of the sole. i

11. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, means for forming shank-reducing cuts in the opposite lateral margins of a sole on said support, means for forming a plane shoulder adjoining each of said cuts and inclined lengthwise of the sole edge, and mechanism for relatively positioning the sole and the shoulder forming means to locate said shoulders at the break line of the sole.

12. In a sole fitting machine, a sole supporting surface, means for clamping an unattached sole on said surface, a cutter for forming a notch in the margin of a sole on said support, said cutter having'a cutting edge parallel to said supporting surface, a pivotal support for said cutter, the

axis of said support being parallel tothe face of the sole, a reciprocable member engageable with said pivotal support to swing the cutter about the axis of said pivotal support to form a notch in the sole, and means for adjusting said pivotal support to vary the direction of said axis and thereby to vary the direction of the notch.

13. In a sole fitting machine, a sole supporting surface, means for positioning a sole on said surface, two pivotally mounted cutters movable about axes parallel to said surface and each having a cutting edge parallel to said surface and a cutting edge inclined relatively to said surface, and means for moving said cutters in directions away from each other to cut notches in the opposite lateral margins of a sole on said supporting surface.

14. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, means for positioning a sole on said support, means cutting inwardly from the face of the sole and outwardly to the sole edge to form an edge-reducing cut and an adjacent shoulder in the margin of the sole, and means operating in timed relation with said cutting means for clamping the sole after it has been positioned.

15. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, means for positioning a sole on saidsupport, means cutting inwardly from the face of the sole and outwardly to the sole edge to form an edgereducing cut and an adjacent shoulder in the margin of the sole, and means operating in timed relation with said cutting means for clamping the sole after it has been positioned and for releasing the sole after the formation of said shoulder therein.

16. In a sale fitting machine, a cutter and a work support relatively movable to out a notch in the margin of a sole on said support, a sole edge gage, means for moving said gage into engagement with the sole edge, and connections be- 3 tween said gage and said cutter for moving the cutter to an extent determined by a characteristic of the sole to adapt the machine for operation upon soles of diiferent sizes and styles.

17. In a-sole fitting machine, a cutter and a work support relatively movable to cut a notch in the margin of a sole on said support, and means engageable with the opposite edges of the sole to adjust the position of the cutter relatively to the sole to an extent determined by the width of the sole.

18. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, gages movable toward each other into engagement with the opposite lateral edges of a sole on said support for positioning the sole, knives movable in unison with said gages into position for cutting notches in the lateral margins of the sole, and means for moving said knives away from each other to cut the notches in the sole.

19. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, carriers movable toward and from each other, gages mounted on the said carriers and movable therewith into and out of engagement with the opposite lateral edges of a sole on said support for positioning the sole, and knives mounted on said carriers for movement therewith into positions relatively thereto for cutting notches in the opposite lateral margins of the sole, the gages being located in the paths of movement of the knives and being movable relatively to the carriers to avoid interference with the knives.

20. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, carriers movable toward and from each other, gages mounted on the said carriers and movable therewith into and out of engagement with the opposite lateral edges of a sole on said support for positioning the sole, knives mounted on said carriers for movement therewith into positions relatively thereto for cutting notches in the opposite lateral margins of the sole, the gages being located in the paths of movement of the knives and being movable relatively to the carriers to avoid interference with the knivesand connections between the knives and the gages for removing the gages form operative positions duringthe cutting strokes of the knives.

21. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, carriers rnevable toward and from each other, gages mounted on said carriers and movable therewith into and out of engagement with the opposite lateral edges of a sole on said support for positioning the sole, knives pivotally mounted on said carriers for movement in directions transverse to the sole edge, and means for moving the knives relatively to the carriers to cut notches in the opposite lateral margins of the sole.

22. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, carriers movable toward and from each other, gages mounted on said carriers and movable therewith into and out of engagement with the opposite lateral edges of a sole on said support for positioning the sole, knives movably mounted on said carriers, means for moving the knives relatively to the carriers to cut notches in the opposite lateral margins of the sole, and connections between each knif and its associated gage for moving the gages relatively to the carriers.

23. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, carriers movable toward and from each other, gages pivotally mounted on said carriers for movement in unison with the carriers into and out of engagement with the opposite lateral margins of a sole on said support for positioning the sole, knives mounted on the carriers for movement relatively thereto for cutting notches in the margins of the sole, means for moving said carriers relatively to position the sole and the knives,

and means for moving the knives and the gages relatively to the carriers to cut the notches in the soles and to remove the gages from operative positions.

24. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, carriers movable toward and from each other, gages mounted on the carriers and movable therewith into and out of engagement with the opposite lateral edges of a sole on said support for positioning the sole, knives mounted on said carriers for movement therewith into positions for cutting notches in the margins of the sole, springs for moving the gages and the knives in one direction relatively to the carriers, and positively operated means for moving the gages and the knives in the opposite direction relatively to the carriers.

25. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, gages for engaging the opposite lateral edges of a sole on said support at points in the vicinity of the break line, means for moving said gages into operative position, knives movable with said gages into positions for operation upon the sole, means for operating the knives to cut notches in the sole margins, and connections between the knives and the gages for removingthe gages from operative position during the cutting strokes of the knives.

26. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, gages for engaging the opposite lateral edges of a sole on the support at points in the vicinity of the break line, means for moving the gages into operative position, means for adjusting the gages to maintain their paths of movement substantially at right angles to the length of the sole edge at points of engagement of the gages with the sole, knives adjustable with said gages to position the knives for cutting notches in the sole adjacent to the points engaged by the gages, and

means for operating the knives to cut the notches.

27. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, gages for engaging the opposite lateral edges of a sole on the support at'points in the vicinity of the break line, means for moving the gages into operative position, means for adjusting the gages to maintain their paths of movement substantially at right angles to the length of the sole edge at points of engagement of the gages with the sole, knives adjustable with said gages to position the knives for cutting notches in the sole adjacent to the points engaged by the gages, means for operating the knives to cut the notches,

I and means for varying the range of movement of the gages and the knives to accommodate soles of different sizes and styles.

28. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, carriers movable toward and from each other, knives movable with the carriers to and from positions for operating upon the sole on said support, gages movable with the carriers to and from positions of engagement with the opposite lateral edges of the sole to position the sole relatively to the knives, said knives and gages being pivotally mounted for movement independently of the movements of the carriers, means for moving the carriers, and means for moving the gages and the knives independently of the movement of the carriers to cut notches in the sole and to remove the gages from operative position.

29. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, carriers movable toward and from each other, knives movable with the carriers to and from positions for operating upon the sole on said support, gages movable with the carriers to and from positions of engagement with the opposite lateral edges of the sole to position the sole relatively to the knives, said knives and gages being pivotally mounted for movement independently of the movements of the carriers, means for moving the carriers, means for moving the knives and the gages independently of the movement of the carriers to cut notches in the sole and to remove the gages from operative positions, and means for locking the carriers prior to said independent movement of the knives and the gages and for unlocking the carriers after the knives have operated to cut the notches.

30. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, carriers movable toward and from each other, gages mounted on said carriers and movable therewith into and out of engagement with the opposite lateral edges of a sole on said support for positioning the sole, knives mounted on said carriers for movement therewith into positions for cutting notches in the lateral margins of the sole, means for moving the carriers to operatively position the knives and the gages, means for operating the knives to cut the notches, and means for locking the carriers prior to said operation of the knives.

31. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, carriers movable toward and from each other, gages. mounted on said carriers and movable therewith into and out of engagement with the opposite lateral edges of a sole on said support for positioning the sole, knives mounted on said carriers for movement therewith into positions for cutting notches in the lateral margins of the sole, means for moving the carriers to operatively position the knives and the gages, means for operating the knives to out the notches, means for locking the carriers prior to said operation of the knives, and means for thereafter unlocking the carriers to facilitate removal of the soles.

32. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, carriers movable toward and from each other, gages mounted on said carriers and movable therewith into and out of engagement with the opposite lateral edges of a sole on said support for positioning the sole, knive's mounted on said carriers for movement therewith into positions for cutting notches in the lateral margins of the sole, means for moving the carriers to operatively position the knives and the gages, means for operating the knives to cut the notches, means for clamping the sole, means for operating the knives to cut notches in the sole margin, and means for thereafter unlocking the carriers and releasing the soles to facilitate removal of the latter.

33. In a sole fitting machine, a pair of knives normally supported in inoperative positions, a sole support, means for moving the knives to form notches in the opposite lateral margins of a sole on the support, means for returning the knives to inoperative positions, means for locating the sole lengthwise relatively to the knives, and means for determining the horizontal angular position of the sole relatively to the knives, said means comprising mechanism operable also relatively to position the knives and the forepart of the sole.

34. In a sole fitting machine, a pair of knives, a sole support, means for moving the knives to form notches in the opposite lateral margins of a sole on the support, means for locating the sole lengthwise relatively to the knives, and means for determining the horizontal angular position of the sole relatively to the knives, said means comprising mechanism operable also relatively to position the knives and the forepart of the sole, said mechanism being adjustable to maintain the paths of the knives substantially at right angles to the length of the sole edge irrespective of variations in the size and style of the sole being operated upon. V

35. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, means for cutting notches'in the opposite lateral margins of a sole on the support, means for locating the sole relatively to the knives, said means comprising a toe gage for determining the longitudinal position of the sole, and means for adjusting the toe gage in accordance with the size of a particular sole to be operated upon.

36. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, means for cutting notches in the opposite lateral margins of a sole on the support, means for 10- cating the sole relatively to the knives, said means comprising a toe gage for determining the longitudinal position of the sole, means for adjusting the. toe gage in accordance with the size of a particular sole to beoperated upon, and connections between the toe gage and said adjusting means capable of adjustment to vary the position of the gage relatively to the gage adjusting means to correct the adjustment of the gages in accordance with different size variations.

37. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, means for cutting notches in the opposite lateral margins of a sole on the support, means for 10- cating the sole relatively to the knives, said means comprising a toe gage for determining the longitudinal position of the sole, means'for adjusting the toe gage in accordance with the size of a particular sole to be operated upon, said means including a lever, and connections comprising a cam member between the lever and the gage, the cam member being adjustable to vary its throw and thus'tovary the extent of adjustment of the gage to compensate for style variations. 7

38. In a sole fitting machine, means for cutting notches in the opposite lateral margins of a sole, said cutting means being constructed and arranged to reduce the thickness of the portions of the sole upon which it operates by removing material therefrom, a toe gage for positioning the sole longitudinally relatively to the cutting means, adjusting mechanism for said gage including a member graduated to provide for different sizes of soles, ,means for locating the sole width- Wise relatively to the cutting means comprising gage members for engaging the opposite edges of the sole at the ball and heel portions of the sole, and means for angularly adjusting said cutting means to vary the angular relation of the notches to each other.

39. In a sole fitting machine, means for cutting notches in the opposite lateral margins of a sole, said cutting means being constructed and arranged to reduce the thickness of the portions of the sole upon which it operates'by removing material therefrom, a gage for positioning the sole longitudinally relatively to the cutting means, adjusting mechanism for said gage including a member graduated to provide for different sizes of soles, said graduated member being adjustable to correct for differences between sizes in soles of different styles, a pair of centering gages for the heel end of the sole, a pair of gages for cooperating with said heel gages to determine the edgewise angular position of the sole relatively to said cutting means, and means for angularly adjusting said cutting means to vary the angular relation of the notches to each other.

40. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, knives movable transversely of a sole on said support into positions to cut the sole, and means controlled by the width of the sole and operable by power during a cycle of operations of the machine for positioning the knives to determine the locations of the cuts in the sole.

41. In a sole fitting machine, a sole support, a sole edge gage, means for cutting the marginal portion of a sole on the support in a direction transverse to the face of the sole to define one end of a reduced area in the sole margin, and power operated means for adjusting both said'gage and said cutting means relatively to the sole support to position the sole and the cutting means relatively to each other.

42. In a sole fitting machine, a support for a sole for a left shoe, a support for a sole for a right shoe, means for cutting notches in the upper faces of the soles, means for relatively positioning the soles and said cutting means to locate the notches in the vicinity of the break lines of the soles, and 40 means for simultaneously adjusting said supports relatively to said cutting means to vary the thickness of the sole material beneath the notches.

43. In a sole fitting machine, a support for an unattached sole, a knife having its cutting edge shaped to form in the margin of a sole on said support a notch defined by a surface transverse to the face of the sole and another surface disposed at an angle to the first-mentioned surface, means for operating the knife to cause it to enter the face of the sole and to cut outwardly to the edge of the sole, a clamp cooperating with said sole support to hold the sole during the operationof said knife, and means for operating said clamping means in timed relation to said knife-operating means.

' CHARLES E. HOOD. 

